ORLANDO, Fla. – Earlier this week, structural demolition ramped up at Orlando Police Department's old headquarters.
"End of an era," OPD said Monday on Twitter. "Lots of memories here."
The building opened in 1972 when Orlando's population was just 97,000. Today, with a population of more than 255,000, the city of Orlando felt it was time for something new, and now the department has a brand new, state-of-the-art, 94,500-square-foot headquarters on Orange Blossom Trail.
Once demolition is complete at the old site, it will begin to transform into a $200 million entertainment complex for the Orlando Magic, which bought the property for $12.7 million in 2013.
The complex has been billed as a huge economic and entertainment boost for downtown, but final plans have yet to be made public.
"In terms of new development, we are still in the design process, taking it from conceptual to final design," Joel Glass, chief communications officer for the Orlando Magic, said in an email.
Glass told News 6 that the project will create jobs and provide dining, hotel and entertainment options, and continue the revitalization of downtown Orlando and the Parramore neighborhood.
"We look forward to sharing more once the final design phase is complete," Glass said.
Demolition at the former police station should wrap up in September, according to Glass, but the Magic don't have a definitive construction start date for the entertainment complex.
News 6 will continue to follow up on this story.